Man&#39;s undergarment



MAN'S UNDERGARMENT Filed March 9, 1967 INVENTORJ NELS AEQTHUR \EVEQSON Fl G. 4 I UN CE N AT TORNEYS United States Patent 3,441,022 MANS UNDERGARMENT Nels Arthur Severson and Eunice M. Bren, Minneapolis, Minn., assignors to Muusingwear, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 621,837 Int. Cl. A41b 9/02; A61f /40 US. Cl. 128-159 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to new and useful improvements in mens undergarments, and more particularly to such a garment having an improved suspensory embodied in the construction thereof.

Description 0] the prior art In Patent No. 2,328,953 entitled Mans Undergarment and issued Sept. 7, 1943, an improved suspensory is described wherein a crotch piece is formed without shirring or otherwise drawing the fabric together. In this undergarment an access opening is provided between the main body of the undergarment and the upper edge of the crotch piece forming the suspensory. This access opening is generally horizontal and, after the undergarment is worn a number of times, the upper edge of the crotch piece has a tendency to hang or bag. This is especially true as the cloth and elastic therein lose their elasticity due to age and extensive numbers of washings. In addition, the crotch piece obtains its suspending action because the sides thereof are attached to the front of the main body of the undergarment. Thus, the suspending stress is placed on the cloth between the waistband and the crotch piece. As this cloth becomes worn and aged, the crotch piece has a tendency to bag or hang excessively, and thereby lose its suspensory action.

Summary of the invention.

This invention is an improved mans undergarment comprising a waistband having a generally cylindrical body member attached thereto and a suspensory type crotch piece affixed to one lower edge of the body member along its rear edge and having an elongated member attached to its upper front edge, which elongated member has an upper edge attached to the waistband to improve the support of the crotch piece and to prevent bagging or misforming thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mans undergarment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mans undergarment having an improved suspensory member.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mans undergarment having a suspensory member which does not deform after it becomes worn and which improves the suspending characteristics of the undergarment.

These and other objects of this invention will become 3,441 ,0-22 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 "Ice apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the accompanying specification, claims, and drawings.

Brief description of the drawings Referring to the drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the figures:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of the garment having the invention embodied therein;

FIGURE 2 is a rear view of FIGURE 1 somewhat diminished in size;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the garment illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view as seen from the line 44 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing the garment on a figure.

Description of the preferred embodiment In the figures, the numeral 10 generally designates a body member formed from a generally cylindrical portion of material. In the present embodiment the body 10 is formed from a single cylindrical portion of material so that there are no seams included therein. However, it should be understood that the body member 10 might be made in a variety of fashions including any number of pieces sewed together and it would still come within the scope of this invention. Fixedly attached to the upper edge of the body member 10, by sewing or the like, is an elastic waistband 11. It should be understood that there is no necessity that the waistband 11 be elastic, but it is preferred in this type of garment. The body member 10 and the waistband 11 are adapted to completely encircle the body and include a front, rear, and side portion therein. It should further be understood that a garment of the type commonly known to the trade as knitted shorts is illustrated for this preferred embodiment, but the invention might be integrated into a variety of other types of garments, including swimming suits, other types of undergarments, etc.

A crotch piece 15, generally of the type disclosed in Patent No, 2,328,953 is utilized in the present garment. The crotch piece 15 has a pair of wings 16 and 17 which, in the blank form, extend outwardly in opposite directions from a central portion 18. The upper portions of the side edges of the central portion 18 extend outwardly in opposite directions and define the bottom edges of the wings 16 and 17, and the upper edges of the wings curve upwardly and outwardly from the upper central portion of the crotch piece 15. When the upper curved edges of the wings 16 and 17 are secured together to form a seam 19, the forward-most portion of the crotch piece 15 is provided with ample fullness to serve as a suspensory. The rear-most edge of the crotch piece 15 is joined to a rear edge of the body member 10 to form a seam 20. The crotch piece 15 is secured to the lower edge of the body member 10 in the front thereof adjacent either side of the crotch piece 15 at points 21 and 22. Thus, an opening is formed between the crotch piece 15 and the body mmeber 10 and between the points 21 and 22.

An elongated member 25 having four sides is secured to the front upper edge of the crotch piece 15 along a seam 26. The upper edge of the elongated member 25 is secured to the waistband 11 along the seam 27. The elongated member 25 has a side 28 and a side 29, each of which is disposed generally vertically and extends between the seam 26 and the waistband 11. The sides 28 and 29 of the elongated member 25 are not secured to the body member 10 to provide access openings therebetween. It should be understood that either one or both sides 28 and 29 of the elongated member 25 might be secured to the body member and the garment would still come within the scope of this invention.

A continuous piece of binding material 30 extends along the edge 28 of the elongated member 25, the entire right edge of the crotch piece 15, the entire lower edge of the body member 10 except for the seam 20, the entire left edge of the crotch piece 15, and the side 29 of the elongated member 25. An elastic material is included in the binding material 30 to provide the sides 28 and 29 of the elongated member 25 with some elasticity and to provide the edges of the leg openings, formed by the sides of the crotch piece and the lower edge of the body member 10, with suificient elasticity to maintain them in the correct shape. The elastic material included in the binding material 30 may be a separate piece of material or the binding material 30 itself may be elastic. Also, while the binding material 30 is illustrated and described as a single piece of material, it should be understood that a plurality of pieces of material might be utilized, and it would still be within the scope of this invention.

Because the upper edge of the crotch piece 15 is actually connected to the waistband 11 by the elongated member 25, the crotch piece 15 is supported by the waistband 11 instead of the material in the body member 10. Thus, the combination of the crotch piece 15 and the elongated member form a suspensory and there is no reliance on the resiliency or strength of the material making up the body member 10. Thus, there is little or no tendency for the suspensory to deform with age, and the action of the suspensory is not reduced by deformation.

While we have shown and described a specific embodiment of this invention, further modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. We desire it to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular form shown, and we intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved undergarment comprising:

(a) a waistband;

(b) a body member forming a generally cylindrical portion adapted to encircle a body;

(c) said body member being secured to said wiastband along the upper edge of said body member;

((1) a crotch piece forming a suspensory member and including a central portion having a rear edge secured to a lower edge of said body member and a pair of oppositely extending wings, the side edges of said central portion having their upper portions extending outwardly in opposite directions and defining the bottom edges of said wings, the upper edges of said wings curving upwardly and outwardly from the upper central portion of the crotch piece, and the upper curved edges of said wings being secured together; and

(e) an elongated member secured to said waistband along an upper edge thereof and having a lower edge secured to the upper edge of said crotch piece.

2. An improved undergarment as set forth in claim 1 wherein the body member is constructed from a single cylindrical piece of material.

3. An improved undergarment as set forth in claim 1 wherein the outer edges have an elasti binding secured thereto.

4. An improved undergarment as set forth in claim 1 wherein the combination of the crotch piece secured to the elongated member is further secured to the lower edge of the body member so as to provide an opening therebetween and to provide an opening between either outer edge of said elongated member and said body member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,328,953 9/1943 Chatfield et al 128159 3,250,273 5/1966 Loeffel et a1. 128-159 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 2-224 

